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Greek Alphabet Pronunciation

Greek alphabet pronunciation depends on the tradition: modern Greek is what Greeks speak today, classical Greek is a scholarly reconstruction of fifth-century BC Athens, and English readings are the letter names used in maths, science and Greek life. This page gives every letter in IPA for all three, with no audio.

Greek letters with the English maths and science reading of the name, the modern Greek sound and the reconstructed classical sound
LetterUpper / lowerEnglish name (math and science)Modern Greek soundClassical (reconstructed) sound
AlphaΑ α/ˈælfə//a//a / aː/
BetaΒ β/ˈbeɪtə//v//b/
GammaΓ γ/ˈɡæmə//ɣ (ʝ before e i)//ɡ (ŋ before κ γ χ ξ)/
DeltaΔ δ/ˈdɛltə//ð//d/
EpsilonΕ ε/ˈɛpsɪlɒn//e//e/
ZetaΖ ζ/ˈzeɪtə//z//zd or dz/
EtaΗ η/ˈeɪtə//i//ɛː/
ThetaΘ θ/ˈθeɪtə//θ//tʰ/
IotaΙ ι/aɪˈoʊtə//i//i / iː/
KappaΚ κ/ˈkæpə//k//k/
LambdaΛ λ/ˈlæmdə//l//l/
MuΜ μ/mjuː//m//m/
NuΝ ν/njuː//n//n/
XiΞ ξ/ksaɪ//ks//ks/
OmicronΟ ο/ˈɒmɪkrɒn//o//o/
PiΠ π/paɪ//p//p/
RhoΡ ρ/roʊ//r//r̥ / r/
SigmaΣ σ/ˈsɪɡmə//s//s/
TauΤ τ/taʊ//t//t/
UpsilonΥ υ/ˈʌpsɪlɒn//i//y / yː/
PhiΦ φ/faɪ//f//pʰ/
ChiΧ χ/kaɪ//x (ç before e i)//kʰ/
PsiΨ ψ/psaɪ or saɪ//ps//ps/
OmegaΩ ω/oʊˈmɛɡə//o//ɔː/

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · · How we review content

Key facts

  • Greek alphabet pronunciation has three common traditions: modern Greek, reconstructed classical (Attic) Greek, and the English letter names used in maths, science and Greek life.
  • Classical beta was /b/ and modern beta is /v/; the letter kept its shape while the sound moved over about 2,500 years.
  • Modern Greek pronounces η, ι, υ and several vowel combinations all as /i/, a change called iotacism.
  • Classical Greek distinguished long and short vowels; modern Greek does not, so the length mark ː appears only in the classical column.
  • The IPA on this page is a simplified phonemic transcription, and there is no audio because the site does not record or license any.

Greek alphabet pronunciation in three traditions

The table above gives three readings for each letter.

English names

These are how English speakers say the letter’s name in maths, science, Greek life and general use. It is the form you want for reading out “alpha”, “sigma” or “pi” in a lecture. This column is a common reading. Dictionaries give several variants, and the rows for epsilon, xi, upsilon and omega especially have more than one accepted form.

Modern Greek

This is the sound of the letter in the Greek spoken today. It is the right choice if you will speak with a Greek speaker or read a modern text.

Classical Greek (reconstructed)

This is the usual scholarly reconstruction of Attic Greek of the fifth century BC. It is used when reading ancient texts aloud. It is reconstructed from evidence, not recorded, and some values, such as zeta, are debated.

Pronunciation of letter names and letter sounds are different things. Modern Greeks call the letter β “víta” and use the sound /v/, while English calls the letter “beta” and, for the sound, you use whatever your own word needs.

What changed between classical and modern Greek?

Several sound shifts explain most of the differences in the table.

Which consonants changed?

  • Stops became fricatives. Classical β, γ and δ were /b/, /ɡ/ and /d/. In modern Greek they are /v/, /ɣ/ and /ð/. Classical aspirated θ, φ and χ (/tʰ/, /pʰ/, /kʰ/) became /θ/, /f/ and /x/.
  • Palatalisation. Modern γ and χ are pronounced further forward before front vowels (e and i), shown in brackets in the hub table.

What happened to the vowels?

  • Vowels merged. η, ι, υ and several vowel combinations are all /i/ in modern Greek, a change called iotacism. Classical Greek had distinct values for each.
  • Vowel length is gone. Classical Greek distinguished long and short vowels; modern Greek does not, so the long marks (ː) in the classical column disappear in the modern one.

How reliable is the table?

The IPA is a simplified phonemic form. The conventions we followed come from the standard descriptions of Ancient and Modern Greek phonology, as summarised in the sources below; we did not make recordings or compare against audio for this page, so treat the table as a reference, not as a substitute for a native speaker. The English readings are US-leaning and one of several in use.

For letter shapes and numbers go back to the Greek alphabet table, and for what the letters mean in formulas see Greek letters in maths and science. Whichever tradition you need, Greek alphabet pronunciation is easiest to check against a reference recording by a native speaker.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Basics

How is the Greek alphabet pronounced?
It depends on the tradition. Modern Greek is what Greeks speak today, for example β as /v/ and η as /i/. Classical (Attic) Greek is a scholarly reconstruction of fifth-century BC Athens, with β as /b/ and η as a long /ɛː/. English speakers use the letter names in maths, science and Greek life.
Why does beta sound like "v" in Greek?
The sound of the letter has changed over about 2,500 years. Classical Greek β was /b/, and modern Greek β is /v/. Eta, upsilon and several vowel spellings merged into /i/, and δ, γ, θ and φ turned from stops into fricatives. The letters kept their shapes while the sounds moved.
How do you say the Greek letters in a math class?
English speakers use the letter names as ordinary English words, such as alpha, beta, gamma, delta, sigma and omega. Several names have more than one accepted reading, especially epsilon, xi, upsilon and omega, so follow your instructor. The English column of the table gives one common reading in IPA, not the only one.
Which Greek letters sound the same in modern Greek?
Eta, iota and upsilon are all /i/ in modern Greek, as are several vowel combinations. This merger is called iotacism. Classical Greek gave each vowel a distinct value, which is why the classical and modern columns of the table differ most in the vowel rows.
Did classical Greek have long and short vowels?
Yes. Classical Greek distinguished long and short vowels, for example a long eta /ɛː/. Modern Greek has lost vowel length, so the long mark ː in the classical column of the table disappears in the modern column. The distinction mattered for the meaning of words.

Where it works

Why do English speakers say "beta" differently?
English names for Greek letters come through Latin and English tradition, and pronunciations vary by region. In North America you will hear beta, zeta, eta and theta with an "ay" vowel, and in British usage often with an "ee" vowel. Both are normal; the IPA given for English is one common reading, not the only one.
Is there audio on this page?
No. We do not record or license audio, and a fake or machine voice would not serve you well on sounds like γ and χ. The IPA transcriptions are provided so that you can compare with a reference recording, such as one from a university phonetics site.

How it works

What does the IPA in the table mean?
IPA is the International Phonetic Alphabet, a way to write sounds unambiguously. Forward slashes mean a simplified phonemic transcription, not a precise phonetic one. Examples: /θ/ is the "th" of "think", /ð/ the "th" of "this", /x/ the "ch" of Scottish "loch", and ː marks a long vowel.
How do I pronounce gamma and chi in modern Greek?
Modern γ is /ɣ/, a voiced throaty sound, and χ is /x/, like the "ch" of Scottish "loch". Both move further forward before the front vowels e and i, which the hub table shows in brackets. English has no exact match for either, so listen to a native speaker.
Is the name of a letter pronounced like its sound?
No, the name and the sound are separate things. Modern Greeks call β "víta" but use the sound /v/, while English calls the same letter "beta". For the sound of a letter, use the modern or classical column, not the English name.

Tips & limits

Which pronunciation should I learn, modern or classical?
Choose by purpose. Use modern Greek to speak with Greek speakers or read a modern text, classical to read ancient texts aloud, and the English names for maths, science or Greek life. Mixing them in one setting, such as saying a modern /v/ for beta in a lecture, can confuse listeners.
How certain is the classical pronunciation?
It is a scholarly reconstruction from evidence, not a recording, so some values are debated, such as zeta. Treat the classical column as the usual convention for reading Attic Greek of the fifth century BC. The table is a reference and does not replace a teacher or a native speaker.

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